When Freedom Came
by Ryukansen
Summary: Arthur muses on Freedom's motives. How it made him curious, happy and at the same time remember all the pain.


**When Freedom Came**

_By Ryukansen_

It's raining, and there's nothing that he could do about it. He always mused to himself that Freedom always had a knack of making separations so desperate and long. His heart churns as he casts an empty gaze at the dark clouds looming above him. Freedom was always so cruel. Always spontaneous and always everywhere - no matter how much he tried desperately on locking her up in a stainless, royal cage. For some reason, she always seemed to be able to slip through those enforced security and make her way to other countries.

He remembered well a time he had met her. She was a beautiful fairy who smiled pleasantly at him, one day, as he sat on Francis' lap gazing in awe at the spectacular creature fluttering around him. Her wings were a purple shade sprinkled with numerous sparkles, her hair a perfect gold and her eyes a cool blue - like the ocean mist whenever he awaited Francis on the decks of ports on his Isles. She was his best-friend at that time, when he was lonely, and through her he made more new fantastical creatures ranging from Unicorns to Butterfly Princes. She was his saviour from loneliness.

And also his destruction of happiness.

She was constantly with him whenever he was tugged along by France to a barber's shop or made to eat his delicacies at his home. She was always with him, urging him to do something - to make his own decisions, to take his own steps away from his mother figure. And her voices were so bright and cheerful, so full of confidence and hope as she told him how much better it was to be "free." How the sky was even more boundless if he became independent, how much more the ocean seemed like forever! She would tell stories of other people who followed her exact words and would always end up saying, "Now where are they now?" He was filled to the brim with excitement -

But he never knew where he was heading to despite her cheers.

It was when Freedom flew into his hands he realized how heavy the burden of being independent was. That France would no longer childishly play along with him - or chide friendly remarks for that matter, and that Freedom had given him his boundless sky - but also a heavy heart filled with guilt too much in a state of remorse to explore that sky.

He remembers when he had taken freedom, and asked back for his dependency on France - but she would laugh softly and tell him that once she has touched him, she would always return to him no matter what. And that if someone was to rule over him, she would return to claim him. He was frightened, and speculated that if she was his - then he would keep her. All to himself.

At first he was fine with keeping her. But as he became too filled with anxiety, he begun to speculate on Freedom's influences on others. So he hid her, took her without a word, stuffed her into a cage made for birds - so they will not fly to that boundless sky.

He remembers her shocked face. Although it was shocked, he could remember those eyes playfully enjoying his sudden action, and she would stay inside the cage - silent but mockingly laughing at his stupidity.

He thought he could keep her in that desolate cage forever, but every time he opened his door to check on her she was always gone, far away from him - but as she promised she'd always return.

He was confused as to how she could just disappear through that hard jail, but she would never answer.

She would just always happily return to him.

He remembered, though, that one day she came up to him with a disappointed and concerned look melted on her delicate face. She fluttered about him complaining and warning him to not take her "precious child" away. He was confused at first and reassured her he would never kidnap her faerie child.

He promised her as he left to the New World.

And she secretly whispered, "you will pay."

Arthur suspects that it was her fault for being so vague on details.

He remembers that on a sun shining day he had met that beautiful child, for the first time, on the plains of the new continent. He was thrilled when he had spotted that beautiful golden hair - much like Freedom's, and those beautiful blue eyes - much like hers as well. The child was adorable and energetic filled with so much hope and happiness - he had to take him no matter

the cost.

He didn't know as soon as he claimed the child as his little brothers, Freedom was mixed with envy and was furious. He didn't know - he never saw her again when he returned with a happy tale. The cage was completely empty - empty forever.

Arthur remembers when he arrived back to Alfred. How the young lad was so happy to see him and how he started to explain the great creatures he found in the wild. There was especially a specific butterfly Alfred grew fond of and explained on how amazing it was - how beautiful it's wings were and how lovely it's glitter.

It never occurred to him what types of "creatures" the child was talking about.

He remembers when he came back to that beautiful child. How much stronger and taller he became. A sudden change had undergone Alfred at that point and his eyes seemed less bright than the usual. His hair was less golden, and his smiles were reduced to petty frowns. England never know how he ended up like that - and continued to make him his little brother.

When he arrived back home, the cage was still empty - the door still open.

"England." Alfred once calls his name and knocks on his door. He is surprised that his beautiful brother would come up to him all of a sudden, and all the way across the lake, too! Arthur remembered how happy he was to open those doors, but how mortified he was to see the young man looking like a wreck.

The rain is pouring now, and Arthur realizes that he is too late. Alfred is standing in front of him with his small petty smile, and his hair reduced to a cornstarch complexion. His sea blue eyes were nothing more but the same gray covering the boundless sky - and Arthur could see how grim he was. He truly felt awful to have caused this whole violent scene.

"Why?" Arthur would choke on his tears, and the young man would smile bitterly at him.

"I wanted Freedom." He replied softly.

The Faerie whirled pass by him at that point, with a smile that mocked him. Her figure whirled around Alfred, but the man did not seem to notice. Arthur speculates it's because Freedom stole Alfred's vision of her species, and that so Alfred could enjoy boundless freedom than fret and keep her.

"Why not take my vision too?" Arthur cries, and Alfred is confused. The faerie smiles politely but vanishes.

With tears she speaks to him with a frail voice. "You and I both took our precious brother and child away."

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"What are you doing?" Alfred teases as he watches Arthur sit in his garden sipping Earl Grey while speaking gently with the thin air. The older nation glared at the younger one with hardly any contempt, but with annoyance. "Are you talking with your faerie friends again?" The young man lets out a grin while sitting in an empty seat. This caused some irritation within Arthur who stood up and began to shout at him.

"What are you doing, someone's sitting there!" He replied strangling America.

"Psh. I see no one!"

It was at that time Freedom smiles sadly while taking a new seat next to her child.

"By the way, did you hear about France's new gift for me? I got a GREAT HUGE STATUE! It reminds me of someone..."

"Ah..."

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"Let me tell you a secret, Arthur." Francis replied sweetly at the young country who sat on his lap. He brought out a golden cage covered with a small velvet cloth.

"I hope it's not a dumb secret." The child pouted while crossing his arms and gazing at his protector with a suspicious and spoiled glare. Francis laughed and waved his hands about. He did spoil England to the point that the brat got everything he wanted.

"I don't think it's dumb! In fact, it's very interesting." France pouts and tugs on England's chubby cheeks. "Now, let me start."

"Behind this cage is something spectacular." The European replied with pride. "It's very rare, and I doubt you can see it but, I will let you have a chance at it." The French man urged his child to look and peer into the glass cage.

Arthur was curious at this point and removed the velvet cloth.

Behind the cage was the most beautiful faerie he had ever seen in his life.

"Can you see it?" France asked softly, smiling.

"N-No." Arthur lied and placed the violet curtain back onto the cage - pretending to be disappointed.

"I wonder why?" France mused and sighed. "Just promise me you will not open it. Caged things are meant to be locked." He smirks and places the child on the floor while getting back up to put the faerie on the highest shelf.

"Why?" Arthur asks with curiosity.

"It's just better not to free …"

"There's nothing in there."

"I know, I know - I just don't like my cage to be opened." He sighs with a smile. "Never open it, or I don't know what to feel."

"_Open it, Open it, don't you want to see me fly?_"

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Arthur later suspects that the only ones now who could see Freedom are the ones who need it, and are the ones who have been cursed with it.


End file.
